This easy Venison Meatloaf recipe is the last venison meatloaf recipe you'll need! It's tender, flavorful, and slices cleanly. I like to glaze it with honey mustard sauce, however, ketchup can be substituted.
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If your freezer is stocked with ground venison and you've already mastered venison burgers and venison chili, here's a recipe you won't want to miss! This venison meatloaf recipe delivers all the comforting flavors of a classic meatloaf-only better, in our opinion. Once you try it, I bet it'll earn a spot on your regular dinner rotation!
When prepared as a meatloaf, venison's texture becomes moist and tender (especially if mixed with a little fat, bacon, or ground pork). The flavor of the venison melds with the seasonings and glaze to create a well-balanced, hearty dish.
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This easy venison meatloaf recipe is a delicious way to make use of ground venison.
- Mustard lovers rejoice! Instead of glazing it with ketchup, I use my honey mustard sauce which is so much more flavorful!
- Venison meatloaf leftovers make great in meatloaf sandwiches!
- Because of the seasoning and herb blend added to this venison meatloaf recipe, you'll never believe that it's wild game meat.
🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Ground Venison: 1 ½ lbs of ground venison/ground deer meat. Mine was mixed with 20% fat. Feel free to add ground bacon as a substitute.
- Crackers: It took 18 Ritz crackers to make ¾ cup of ground crackers. If you don't have crackers you can use an equal amount of plain breadcrumbs or Panko breadcrumbs.
- French Fried onions: I added ½ cup of ground French fried onions. These can be substituted with ½ cup minced onion. May substitute with frizzled onions!
- Eggs: Two medium eggs, beaten.
- Tomato Paste: If you don't have tomato paste, you can substitute an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce; just leave out the water.
- Garlic Cloves: Fresh garlic cloves may substitute 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
- Spices: Salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and onion powder.
- Herbs: Rubbed sage and dried marjoram. Fresh parsley can also be added.
- Glaze: Instead of ketchup, I like to brush the meatloaf with my sweet and tangy glaze made with mustard and honey. I know some prefer ketchup; if that's you, go ahead and substitute it.
*A full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card!
🥩 How To Make Venison Meatloaf
Step 1: Defrost ground venison and add to a large bowl. Add crushed Ritz crackers and French-fried onions to a small food processor, and pulse until crumbly. Whisk eggs in a small bowl, then mix warm water, bullion, and tomato paste in a measuring cup until smooth.
Step 2: Add crackers, French-fried onions, eggs, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, crushed garlic, sea salt, crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, marjoram, sage, and minced serrano (optional) to the meat mixture.
Step 3: Gently mix ingredients together just until combined, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F
Step 4: Gently press the meatloaf mixture into an ungreased 8.5"x4.5" loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the top with 3 tablespoons of honey mustard sauce or ketchup.
Step 5: Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F when taken with a meat thermometer. Let meatloaf rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
🥗 Serving Suggestions
We all know that venison meatloaf should be served with mashed potatoes and gravy, don't we? But you can also think outside the box! How about serving it with this potato salad with dill or some crispy air fried potato wedges? Instead of green beans, try these roasted sugar snap peas, a pear and arugula goat cheese salad, or a carrot and cucumber salad.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Check the internal temperature of your meatloaf close to when it should be done. It needs to be at an internal temperature of 160°F.
Meatloaf should be cooked uncovered unless you notice that it's browning too quickly. In that case, it can be covered with aluminum foil for the remaining cooking duration.
Opt for meat with fat, for example, an 80/20 blend. It's also helpful to include a source of moisture like milk, broth, or even water to soak the breadcrumbs. Finally, resist overmixing, which can make the meatloaf dense and tough, and lead to dryness.
To keep a meatloaf from falling apart you need a binding agent such as eggs, breadcrumbs, oats, or crushed crackers. These ingredients help to hold the meatloaf together. Mix them with milk or broth beforehand for a softer texture.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Combine the venison meatloaf ingredients just until everything is incorporated. Overmixing can make the meatloaf dense and tough.
- Allow venison meatloaf to rest for at least 10 minutes after removing it from the oven. This helps the juices to redistribute and makes it easier to slice the meatloaf without it falling apart.
- Store meatloaf leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Venison meatloaf freezes well when stored in freezer ziplock bags. Freeze for up to 3 months.
🥩 Related Recipes
If you love this venison meatloaf recipe, try these other game recipes too!
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📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Defrost ground venison and add to a large bowl. Add crushed Ritz crackers and French-fried onions to a small food processor, and pulse until crumbly. Whisk eggs in a small bowl, then mix warm water, bullion, and tomato paste in a measuring cup until smooth.
- Add crackers, French-fried onions, eggs, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, crushed garlic, sea salt, crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, marjoram, sage, and minced serrano (optional) to the meat mixture.
- Gently mix ingredients together just until combined, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
- Press the meatloaf mixture into an ungreased 8.5"x4.5" loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the top with 3 tablespoons of honey mustard sauce.
- Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F when taken with a meat thermometer. Let meatloaf rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
Notes
- Combine the ingredients just until everything is incorporated. Overmixing can make the meatloaf dense and tough.
- Allow the meatloaf to rest for at least 10 minutes after removing it from the oven. This helps the juices to redistribute and makes it easier to slice the meatloaf without it falling apart.
- Store meatloaf leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Venison meatloaf freezes well when stored in freezer ziplock bags. Freeze for up to 3 months.
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